Crate Training

Pet crates are an excellent way to train your dog and provide it with its own sanctuary. There are numerous benefits to crate training your dog, including a feeling of security for your dog and safety for young children. Crate training can prevent costly damage, helps you train your dog in proper chewing and elimination, easy traveling, and improves the pet/owner relationship. Some things to remember when you undertake crate training: a crate should have enough room for the dog to stand and turn around but not much more than that, place the crate in a room full of activity, and never use the crate for punishment. If you use "time-out," place the dog in a separate room instead of the crate.
If you have a puppy introduce it to the crate as early as possible. Place a few treats, toys, or food in the crate to motivate the puppy to enter on its own. Once the puppy is comfortable entering the crate on its own then you are ready to try confinement (this may take several days). The first confinement should be after a period of play, exercise, and elimination. Place the puppy in its crate with a toy and a treat, and close the door. Leave the room but remain close enough to hear the puppy. Expect some distress at first. Never let the puppy out when it cries or whines. Ignore it until the crying stops, and then release it. If crying does not subside on its own, a light scolding may be useful. Avoid excessive correction— it can cause fear and anxiety. Remain out-of-sight so that the puppy does not associate the punishment with your presence. A squirt from a water gun or a sharp noise (try a shaker can containing a few coins) can be used to interrupt barking.
Training an adult dog is similar to training a puppy, except the initial introduction to the crate. Introduce the dog to the crate by setting it up in the dog's feeding area with the door open for a few days. Place food, treats, and toys in the crate so that the dog enters on its own. Once the dog is entering the crate freely, close the door. Gradually increase the amount of time the dog must remain quietly in the crate before you release it. When punishing the dog, take the same advice given for puppy training.